


Swan Lake

by good_mythical_miles



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: High School, M/M, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 01:45:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5028919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/good_mythical_miles/pseuds/good_mythical_miles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett and Link are dating. Link is in the school’s production of the Swan Lake ballet. (Inspired by GMM #543's wheel ending.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Swan Lake

The room was dark. The air was thick—muggy. Link was standing in the corner, bouncing up and down in nervous excitement. It was a mere fifteen minutes before he was supposed to go on stage. “Where’s Rhett?” he desperately asked himself under his breath. He should have been backstage already. He promised he’d give him a bit of reassurance before his very first ballet recital. Being cast as the lead role in Swan Lake, the pressure was much greater than it would have been otherwise. Link wiped some sweat off of his forehead. His bangs were pinned back as a part of his costume, feathers in his hair and paint adorning his face. He checked his palm to make sure he hadn’t smeared his makeup. He hadn’t. The butterflies in his stomach were quickly replaced by nausea. He was trembling.

“Link? Sorry I had to drop out of the recital, buddy. But I’m still here!”

He spun around. “Rhett, I can’t do this!”

“You can! I can’t. Have you seen me try to do the toe thing?”

“Who’s gonna catch me when I fall? Who’s gonna dry my tears when I lose?”

“Okay, first of all, you don’t win or lose a ballet recital,” Rhett said, trying to hold in laughter.

“It’s not funny, Rhett.”

“Hey, listen. I’ve seen you during rehearsals. You’ve got the routine down. You’re gonna do great, Link. I sure as hell ain’t gonna dry your tears when you ‘lose,’ but you better believe I’m gonna congratulate you when you ‘win.’ Plus, you look great in those pants.” Rhett knew the last sentence would make a smile break through the panic.

Link blushed and looked at his feet. He swallowed hard. “I wish I was down there in the audience instead of back here.”

“You know, you’re really cute when you’re nervous.” Rhett cupped Link’s cheek and rubbed a thumb along his jawline.

Link turned his head and gave Rhett’s hand a small kiss. “Don’t,” he said, trying to hold back a smile, “you’re gonna mess up my makeup.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Rhett winked.

The boys’ friend Alex came up from behind them and whispered, “Gaaaaaaaaay!”

All three of them laughed. “Quit it,” Link mumbled.

“I just came back here to wish you luck, man. You’re gonna do awesome. Rhett’s been fawning over your costume all afternoon.”

“Thanks, guys,” Link sighed.

He was about to say something else when the sound of the play’s director filled the auditorium. The show was about to start. Link began panicking all over again, but both Alex and Rhett pulled him into a tight hug. “I’d give you a kiss, but I don’t want anybody to see. Go get ‘em, brother!”

Link blew his secret boyfriend a kiss before skipping to the side of the stage to meet up with the rest of the cast.

“If you’re not more careful, your secret’s gonna get out,” Alex whispered to Rhett before patting him on the back. “Come on, let’s go get our seats.”

The recital went as smooth as a high school ballet could. A couple of kids tripped, but Link brought his A-game. There were of course a few moments here and there when he came close to stumbling, but he recovered beautifully. Rhett and Alex were cheering him on throughout the entire thing, even when the rest of the audience was silent. Sure, it was annoying as hell, but it helped calm Link down.

Rhett couldn’t help but hold his breath every time Link prepared for one of his big moments. The way his toned leg muscles flexed under the tight leggings made his heart flutter. Link’s jumps and twirls were absolutely mesmerizing as far as he was concerned. He only had one complaint, and that was that Link should have had more parts…which was saying a lot, considering he was lead.

As the curtain closed, the cast received a standing ovation from their peers, parents, and teachers. The curtain re-opened, allowing the director to introduce the cast. Rhett knew that Link would be introduced last—the lead always was—so he took the opportunity to run backstage where he had been earlier.

Link was clearly proud of himself. He was rocking back and forth with a wide smile on his face, looking out at the crowd. “And finally, as our gorgeous swan, LINK NEAL!”

Link took a bow as the audience erupted in cheers and whistles. The only time Rhett had seen Link that happy was when they had kissed for the first time. “YEAH!” he cheered. Link turned his head and grinned wildly at the other boy. He shot Rhett a thumbs-up before turning back and bowing once more.

As the cast began retreating from the stage, Link sprinted ahead of the rest of them, reaching Rhett as quickly as possible. He leapt into his embrace, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. Rhett stumbled back, but managed to stay upright. “I DID IT!” Link screeched into Rhett’s ear.

“I’m so proud of you, buddy. You were absolutely stunning up there,” the taller boy swooned.

“I’m not gonna be able to fall asleep after all the excitement.” Link dropped to the floor and the look in his eyes suddenly turned to one of mischief. “Do you want to sleep over?”

Rhett responded with a simple nod. They walked out of the building together and let their fingers intertwine only when they were away from the crowd.

Alex sprinted by and yelled, “GAAAAY!” once more. The two boys yelled back and chased him down the street in laughter.


End file.
